1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat well (a). Sift flour with spice and salt. Stir into creamed mixture (b). Add mixed fruit (c), dates, cherries and sherry or orange juice and mix well.
2. Spoon mixture into greased 4-cups capacity pudding basin, smooth the top and cover with a tight-fitting lid or a double thickness of greaseproof paper tied securely with string.
3. Place basin in a saucepan on an upturned plate and add enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the basin. Cover saucepan and steam pudding briskly for 2 hours, adding extra boiling water as necessary. Turn out pudding onto a heated serving plate and serve with your favorite sauce.